Stock feeder



Oct- 7, 1941. H. c. Bos'rwlcK Erm.

S TOCK FEEDER Filed Aug. 1, 1940 5 Sheets-Shes?I l INVENTORS /ff/vy c'.B05

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. i 6W@ 72M/ f www OC- 7, l941- H. c. BosTwlcK ETA: 2,258,350l

STOCK FEEDER Filed Aug. l, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 70 ef l 76 '77 39 9 $2f-f 1 '7g zg `uY 'f 5g J/ A 204 52 85 53 A6 Mfg INVENTORS A Trag/VE xsPatented ct. '-7, 194i STOCK FEEDER Henry C. Bostwick and Edward C.Kastner,

Akron, Ohio, assignors to The Akron Standard` Mold Company, Akron, Ohio,a corporation of Ohio Application August 1, 19740, Serial No. 349,319

8 Claims. (Cl. 154-10) I This invention relates to strip feedingapparatus for tire buildingmachines generally, but is more particularlyconcerned with tire-building machines of the` type adapted to buildsemi-flat or drum built tire carcasses.

. Objects of the invention are to provide an im.-` `proved stock turretfor tire-building machines,

which will result in increased speed in the use `of such machines andthereby enable an operator to produce a greater number of tires in alAgiven time. The machine illustrated is the type having a turret mountedupon a pedestal Wherein the turret is supplied with rolls and linerstrips between which stock may be stored and then :selectively withdrawnfor use on a tire building form.

`Further objects of the invention include details of construction bymeans of which the macterial may be set in accurate registration with-the drum together withmechanism for actuating or controlling theoperation of the supply rolls to facilitate winding of the materialthereon so` as to prevent any portion thereof from hanging in anunsupported position from the roll.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a devicewhich will permit the plies of material to be withdrawn underconsiduerable tension so as to maintain the required degree of pressurein the tire carcass. The accom- I plishment of this object may take theform of a `.self-energizing brake on they supply roll which isadjustable to produce any desired degree of tension.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. l` is a side elevational view,partly broken away, of a tire building machine of the drum typeincludingv a `stock turret and controls therefor, made in acis a diagramillustrating the electriccircuit of a' motor and solenoid employed.

I In the accompanying drawings, we have shown a tire building machine inwhich a stock storing turret or strip feeder is preferablymounted forrotation upon a support or pedestal. uIn the present instance aplurality of pairs of strip storing and mounted as two units formovement in an endless path, the arrangement being such that when thestock rolls positioned adjacent the discharge or unloading end of themachine are exhausted of strip stock, the turret may be rotated orindexed to present another unit of loaded or charged rolls to thisunloading station, while the unit of exhausted rolls is moved to aloading or charging station where they may again be filled with stripstock.

The tire building machine shown herein preferably comprises a pedestalI0 on which a turret indicated in general at I I is mounted. The framemay be swiveled about the base for the purpose of presenting any portionthereof to the tire building machine or to the supply station which`usually ispositioned on the side of the feeder opposite the tirebuilding form. The turret frame is shown as comprising a base I2 andupright bars I3, the latter having journalled therein upper shafts I4and lower `shafts I5 upon which chain sprockets I6 and Il arerespectively fasadapted to receive a layer of material 25 whichconstitutes `the stock that is to be used for building a tire. Thearrangement is such that while stock is `being withdrawn from the supplyrolls .at one side of the machine across a feed table 2E and onto a tirebuilding form or drum 21, the

rolls on the opposite side are presented to a supply station where theexhausted rolls may be replenished with new material. A latch 28 on thestandard ID, adapted to enter suitable notches in the turret base I2,and releasable by means of a solenoid 29, may be provided to registerthe turret and maintain it in a selected position.

Each group of `supply roll pairs is adapted to be actuated, preferablyby causing the chain belt `to move, whenever desired. This may beaccomplished by means of an electric motor 30 which is suitablyconnected as by a gear reduction unit `3l to a chain belt drive whichoperates the sprocket 32 on the` lowermost shaft I5 of the `right handunit. It is to be understood, moreover, that the same construction is tobe used on `the opposite side of the turret for operating the shaft I5of the left hand unit. A suitable circuit controller in the form of apush button (not shown) may be positioned at a location convenient tothe operator for controlling the operand delivery rolls are carried bythe turret frame 55. ation of the motor whenever desired.

ldriven pulley-38. faccomplishing this purpose is shown as- `an armDuring the winding operation, that is to say, during the time that thematerial is supplied to the rolls, the particular supply roll to whichthe material is fed is adapted to be rotated by means of an electricmotor 35 which is suitably connected through a gear reduction unit,indicated in generalat 36, to a driving Wheel 3".. This Wheel may have'arubber covered face for engagement with a grooved pulley wheel 38 looseon a shaft 39, on which the supply roll is carried, but is normallydrivingly connected to it, as here# ina'fter explained. Thus, in thepositionv of the`.j

machine as illustrated in Fig. 1, the supplyroll immediately adjacentthe feed table 26 (left-hand side of Fig. 1) is in position foroperationA by the motor whenever desired. This is accomplished byclosing a circuit throughthe motor byA means of a push button controller(not shown) ,which is located in any convenient position adjacent theoperator on the supply side of the machine'.

' Normally, the driving wheel 31 fis outoi conftact Ywith the pulleywheel 38,.. thatis, .when the currentthrough the motor 35 isdisconnected,

bellcrank 40 which 'maybe pivoted at 4l for rocking the driving Wheel-toward and from the One for-m of mechanism for 42-0fthe bellcrank whichis connectedto the armature 43 ofa solenoid 44. The- Wheel'31 isnormally held away from the `position of- Vdriving* vengagement by meansof a spring 45, operating on` a projection 45 of the bellcrank, but isforced yinto such engagement Whenever the solenoid is actuated. Byconnecting the.solenoid in circuit windingvof the?y rinvaterialv ontothe unwindingofthe liner from the supply roll, the

5 liner -isfreturned-to-the take up `roll,` the -latter being' rotatedby-a coil spring `337m ther-usual Whenever a supply'roll has beenreplenished,

then thestrip is Acut offjon thefeed table 26,

thereby leaving an exposed end; Thereupon, the motor 30' is actuated toYmove the nextV pair of supply'andkv take up rolls `to thefeedingsta-tion.

During suchrmovement', provisionl is made for autom'aticallywinding upvthe exposed tail of the supply strip, by causing the'supply rolltorotate on its own axis,4 while thechainis moving with 'respect to theframe. This may be performed by meansr of a curved trackwayll, which isadaptedto be engagedv by the pulleywheel 38, and,

hence, the supply roll is rotated'inH the direction required for'winding up the strip. The curved track is extended upwardly'aflongtheback reach ofthe chain belt, asV shown in Fig. 1,'and additionally, thetrack is shown as having rackV teeth therein for effecting rm engagementwith the groovedportion of the pulley wheel. The track 5f!" preferably@has thejsa-me--constructior-r fas a track V5i which is positionedv`a'djacentv the* outer reach of the chain belts,-and the pur-poseforwhich will be set forth later. The track 5| is shown in cross section inFig. 4, as having a facing or teeth of exible material, such as rubber,which may be attached to a backing strip l52, and this in turn is backedup by a strip of material 53, such as sponge rubber, that is held.Within a casing. 54. The net results of this construction is that theyieldability ofthe track assures Yirm engagement with the driven pulleyto eiect satisfactory rotation of the supply roll during the movementof-the chain belts. The

.casing 54 is shown as being supported by means of brackets 55 whichextend outwardly from the "frame member i3.: Likewise, the track 50 issup- .ported` by v'rnean'sl of brackets indicated at 56 vwhich areattached to the frame member I2, It

is to be understood that the same construction is tobe used on the twoendless chain units, that is, that the turret is symmetrical about itsaxis.

The-function .ofv the trackrl is to 'cause anY unwinding movement. ofthe supply rollr by a predetermined amount while the rollsare movingdownwardly on the outer reach of the chain belt 'so as to eXposeasufcient amount Vof the Asupf ply strip. for grasping, byan 'operator'standing in fronti-0f the tire .forming machine 21.1 The lengtl'i' ofthe trackV 5I mayV beV predetermii'ied'y to Vprovidev thedesired-degreeof unwinding.` By lo- 'cat'ing the trackway moreover, rin such positionthat the supply rolls are' unwoundwhile they are moving down the outerreach of the'. chain belt, the partial unwindingoccu'r'sf automaticallyupon 'reach Ysupply roll in turn. 'i 1 InY the event mateur@ istebefor'ledzwith a less number of plies kthan groups of supply and theautomaticrotation 'ofthe rolls resulting from Contact beta/"eertthei`tracksi and. the pulley Wheel-- 38,without the accompanying! reversal of1 rotation due' to withdrawalof 4s'tockfattheftire'louil'rilingstation?.v This' may beaccomplished by providingafd'et'achable connection between 'the 'pulley' wheel 38:9 andV 4itsrespective lsupply roll. lThis may -beseen, forY example-,fin Fig. 4;wherein abrakjecr-um en, 'wniehis rigid. with. the `shaft3.9,fandjtnereby with me rou 2u; isdetachebiy Vconnected to the pulleywheel 38 by In-earisfoia removable stud 6 I'.

`Io supply the desired Vdegree of. tension onthe `material which isbeingwithdrawnfromthe'suplply rolland led onto-theftire `blnlding form', wemay provide ay brakev whicha-ctson each supply roll. In.V the` for-m3shown, the! brake fis mounted upon a bearingblockl T0' which is carriedbyu the chainandwhichA supports the bearing'. for the 'shaft-39. Theblock' mayv carry a bracket TI whichv 'is fastened thereto as 'bybonsai; whiiea bellcrank13is-shown as being pivoted' at Ttupon thebracket. Afbrakebarid'l :which bears upon -the periphery Qof the?brakefdrim B ima'y be" atta'chedy to'alexible 'strip "It,v one' endofwhichfiis secured, Aas at' "ILL-to the" shorter armofT'the belier-ankV'13, wmieftneaopposire .e fd gissecured,

as at 18, to a threaded!pin19;` Y V- ,T01 make the brakeself-energizing, the" pin. 19 may slide in aA lhollow .boss 8U up'onthebracket H, andmayproj'ect.throughfan Vopening inLthe llonger v.arm -H'ofi the bellcrankifA fnutl '82,

threaded-upon th'epi'n'` bears againstlthe4 ace'of 'the armi,- Whil'ea.'compression spring 83 may be interposed between Vthe boss 8U and the arm8`I.

\The\'arrangement is such that the brake band istens'ioned upon' thedrum, because the spring A'83't'ends' to` rock the longer arm upwardly,as

seen in Fig. 3, and to rock the shorter arm downis, when the stockisbeing fed onto the supply vroll, the rotation of the supply roll is ina coun- 'lter-fclockwise directionas viewed in Fig. 1, and also in Fig.3, which tends to rock the bellcrank 13 counter-clockwise, and therebyto relieve the tension of the'brake band; During the withdrawal of thestock at the discharge station, how'ever, the rotation of the roll isclockwise, wherefor, the brake band binds uponthe drum, A.theextent ofthe 4binding being adjustable by- "means Iof the'nut 82. The advantageof this ar- .rangement i'sthat4 the brake is in effect released whilethe supply rolls are moving upwardly on the inner reach of the chain,and being rotated 'fbyfthetrack 50, and also while the motor 35 isrotating the rolls. Additionally, the brake is in f tended to bereleased while the rolls are moving downwardly on theouter reach of thechains and being rotated in the reverse direction by the track. 5|. Thismay be accomplished by means cfa trackV 85" which is shown as beingcarried 'by the casing 54. This track terminates above the point atwhich the supply roll is operated to receive a strip of material, andalso terminates on the discharge side above the point where the materialis withdrawn from the rolls and fed onto the tire building form. Thefunction of the track is to engage a roller 86 on an arm 81 which may beintegral with the longer arm of the bellcrank 13. The track moves theroller and the associated arm inwardly toward the drum, therebyreleasing the band therefrom. Thus, the brake is automaticallyself-energized to resist rotation whenever the material is being pulledby hand therefrom during the tire forining operation, but isautomatically released whenever resistance to rotation would beundesirable.

To facilitate registration between the discharge table 26, and the tirebuilding form regardless of the size of the form (within the range ofthe equipment), the table Ais provided with mechanism by means of whichit may be quickly moved out of the way of the tire building form andthen subsequently dropped quickly into proper operating position. Suchmechanism, insofar as the supports for the table is concerned, mayembody a circular segmental plate 90 which is provided with notches 9iat spaced points on its periphery into which a pin 92, movably mountedon the table is adapted selectively to engage. As shown in Fig. 1, thetable 26 is illustrated in full line as being in position mostconveniently adapted for transferring material from the supply roll ontothe form. Other positions of the table are indicated by the broken lines26a and 26h,` the position 26a being suitable for use with a drum largerthan that shown in Fig. 1, or for the application of an aligning device(not shown), and the position 26h being suitable for movement to clearthe drum for removal of the tire carcass.

Whenever the form is utilized for production of numerous tires of agiven size, the position of the plate 9U may be ailixed with referenceto the iframe. When, however, the form is changed, ltoAfacilitate?readjustm'ent ofthe table, we provide a mechanismforadjusting the plate with reference to th frame, and 'then locking itinthe adjusted position-"This may take the form of a bolt and slotconnection, the bolt being designatedl 93 andthe. slot 94` (Fig. 5'),between the plate and a bracket v95 which forms a support 'for theshaftSB on 'which the plate is adapted to rotatem This lshaft alsoprovides a pivotal support forthe table 26." In practice then, the plateis adjusteduntil'the table, when in dis- ."charging position, is bestsuited tothe requirements of the operator. Thereafter, the connection93,'Y94is locked'against movement until a change in the drum size isdesired.

To hold the table in any adjusted position with respect to the plate,wehave shown a yieldable connection in the form of a spring 91 whichacts upon the pin 92 ina direction to pull it towards the notch '9L Thepin in turn may be carried byV arms 98whi'ch are pivotally mounted, aslat 99, on the side members of the table. A plate 90, just described, isprovided at either side of `the table, and vengageable by the two endportions of the pin. i

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that we haveprovided improved means for increasing the efficiency of operation of astock feeder by facilitating the insertion .and withdrawal of thematerial and bycontrolling the Vtension at which the material may bewithdrawn from the rolls. Other details of construction heretofore setforth and illustrated in the drawings likewise aid the operator inperforming the task of building a tire by reducing the time required formanipulating the rolls and adjust ing the table to suit the form that isbeing used.

We claim:

1. In a tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a stripsupply unit mounted upon the frame and including a plurality of pairs ofstoring rolls, and means acting upon the rolls consequent upon theshifting thereof for rotating them, said last named means including .atrack carried by the frame, and a pulley wheelvcarried by the roll andadapted to engage the track, said track including a pulley engagingportion and a resilient backing strip therefor.

2. Ina tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a strip supplyunit mounted upon the frame and including a plurality of pairs of stripstoring rolls, means to rotate one of the storing rolls for windingmaterial thereon, and means acting upon the roll consequent upon theshifting thereof toward a discharge station to partially unwind it so asto p-resent a portion of the material for withdrawal at the dischargestation.

3. In a tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a stripsupply unit mounted upon the frame and including a plurality of pairs ofstrip storing rolls, means to rotate one of the storing rolls forwinding material thereon, and means acting upon the roll consequent uponthe shifting thereof toward a discharge station to partially unwind itso as to present a portion of the material for withdrawal at thedischarge station, said last named means including a track having apulley engaging portion and a resilient backing strip therefor carriedby the frame, and a pulley wheel carried by the roll and adapted toengage the track.

4. In a tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a strip.supply unit mounted upon the frame and including a plurality of pairsof strip storing rolls,` means onl each pair of rolls to rotate themconsequent upon the shifting thereof to Wind a strip of Vstock materialthereon, and a releasable connection between said means and the rollswhereby some vof the rolls may beselectively disengaged from said means.

5. In a tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a stockstoring unit mounted on the frame and including a pluralityrof storingrolls and bearing blocks therefor, and one-Way brake means carried byone of the blocks and acting-on a brake drum carried by the associatedroll, said means including abelljcrankpivoted to the block and havingarms of unequal length and a brake band secured at its'ends to therespective arms of the bellcrank.

6. Inga tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a stockstoring unit mounted on the frame and including a plurality of stockstoring rolls adapted to `travel in an endless path upon the frame,brake means acting upon one of the rolls tov resist its rotation instockV un'- winding direction; means acting upon the roll during aportion of its travel to rotate it in stock unwinding direction, andmeans' toV release the brake during said portion of its travel, saidlast named'means'including a track on the frame' adapted to be engagedbya portion of the brake means. Y

7. In a tire building machine, the combination of a frame, a stripsupply unit mounted on the igagement with said storing roll Whenever'frame and includingra plurality of pairs of storingrolls, means carriedby the frame to rotate one-ofY the storing rolls for feeding materialthereto, said means comprising a, driving wheel frame' and including aplurality of pairs of storingfrolls, meansv carried by the frame torotate one Aof the storing rolls for feeding material thereto,said meanscomprising a driving Wheel mounted for movement towards and from thelast mentioned storing roll, and an electric motor mounted on the frameto rotate the driving Wheel, yieidable means for normally holding thedriving wheelk out of engagement `With said storing roll, and asolenoidjactuated means for holdingl the wheel in driving engagementwith said storing roll, said solenoid being in circuit with saidmotorwhereby the driving Wheel is held in. en-

the circuit to the motor is closed.

HENRY C. BOSTWICK. EDWARD c. K AsTNER.l

